Water meter pits house equipment for monitoring an amount of water that is being supplied to a commercial property or private residence, for example. These pits are enclosed by a cover that includes a latch to securely lock the cover in place. The cover sits in a frame, which can be made from cast iron, aluminum, or plastic for example. Further, the cover can be configured to be flush with the frame, or can have a cap configuration where a lip portion extends peripherally outwardly from the frame. The latch must securely hold the cover in place. One traditional latch comprises a worm gear configuration. This type of latch cannot easily be used with the different frame materials and different cover configurations.